Difficult moment: Klopp's men have been inconsistent so far this term (Image: Alexandre Simoes)

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

"So once again, we shot ourselves in the foot."

In different times, Borussia Dortmund's defeat at promoted FC Köln on Saturday would be seen as an almighty shock, but Jurgen Klopp's weary lament after the game told of a trough that is becoming a deep hole. The most infuriating aspect of it for staff and supporters alike is that, such is the extent of BVB's Jekyll-and-Hyde contrast between home and European form, it would be no surprise to see them go to Galatasaray's TT Arena and give another demonstration of their authority in the Champions League this week.

Either way, it is, as general manager Michael Zorc mused post-match, "a real crisis" - of form, of confidence and of direction. The statistics are damning. It is now three defeats in a row in the Bundesliga, part of four losses in the last five, making up five league reverses to date this season. Dortmund are already 13 points behind Bayern Munich, with a title challenge looking like an even longer shot than their leaky defence producing a clean sheet at present.

(Image: Alexandre Simoes)

An extensive injury list has played its part, as was the case last season, with Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan (the latter after a mammoth 427 days out) all returning from lay-offs in Cologne. Yet the malaise appears to run deeper. Just as in the last campaign, the shortcomings are clear. Dortmund are giving away terrible goals - on Saturday, it was uber-reliable goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller's turn to gift a winner to a grateful Simon Zoller - while missing chances galore themselves.

"At the critical moments in front of our goal, and in front of their goal, we lacked composure," said Klopp. The errors that undermined any hopes of putting Bayern under pressure at the top last year have only intensified this time around.

When lessons are not being learned, the coach naturally comes under scrutiny, and that has to be the case with Klopp too. He remains one of the most bulletproof bosses in European football, having led the club through an unprecedented run of success since taking charge in 2008. The 47-year-old signed a contract extension to 2018 last autumn, after which he made his famous comment about being "still in love" with Dortmund, despite attention from a host of admirers.

(Image: Getty)

Klopp has ridden out setbacks and dents to his reputation before, notably after Mainz's relegation in 2007 and his subsequent failure to get them back up to the top flight at the first attempt. He has a challenge on his hands here, though. Even if Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski have been big losses he is not short of resources at the Signal Iduna Park, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan are among the signings yet to fully convince at crucial moments. Dortmund are still reliant on the spine of Weidenfeller, Mats Hummels and Nuri Sahin, with the latter two among those compromised by fitness issues so far this season.

In fact, many of Dortmund's problems appear to be rooted in a failure to evolve. Vicente del Bosque's Spain showed how even a strong commitment to one style doesn't preclude being able to switch mood and tempo, with Euro 2012 alone showing their ability to use possession as a tool for both containment and attack. Klopp has had less success in this regard of late, despite experimenting with a 4-4-2 earlier this campaign, with Reus at the tip of a midfield diamond. That scheme floundered after his star man 's latest injury.

Klopp is safe for now, but he is faced with myriad questions - not least from himself, given his exactingly high standards. This season's start is bad enough that they might need to recover the concentration of champions just to return to the Champions League next season.